"There I was..." The best beginning to every aviation story. These stories occur "off-airport"...
Episodes
Brett Baker Returns: Weight Loss, Avionics, and What's Next
16 Sept 2026 · 1 h 01
Season 4 closes out with a returning guest...Brett Baker of Cleared to Adventure was one of the very first people on this show, back in episodes 4 and 5, and this time we caught up in person on a gravel bar in Alaska. We flew in on the HawkWagon, caught some glacier views along the way, and…
Shane Madson from Mad Custom Cubs...Rotary Engine and Turbine Cubs?! Oh MY!
9 Sept 2026 · 1 h 33
Shane Madson runs Mad Custom Cubs out of Westlock, Alberta — and he builds airplanes the way he used to build Harleys, one weld and one custom touch at a time. Before he ever picked up an aircraft-grade torch, he spent years on Alberta drilling rigs and running gas plants, then became a motorcycle…
Fly Rocky Top with Jeff Smith and Matt Axley...your NEXT Backcountry Destination
2 Sept 2026 · 1 h 21
Jeff Smith and Matt Axley join the show to talk about Fly Rocky Top — a brand-new backcountry airstrip network in East Tennessee, and the flagship project of the Recreational Aviation Foundation's "Expanding the Map" initiative, announced at Oshkosh this past July. The network runs on a…
Josh Richling: Crew Chief, Writer, Tailwheel Guy
26 Aug 2026 · 1 h 22
Josh Richling has one of the best seats in competition STOL flying - he's the crew chief behind Steve Henry's Wild West Aircraft Highlander XL builds, the machine that's put up some of the shortest takeoff numbers in the sport. He's also the guy running Tundra Tailwheels day-to-day since Steve…
Ray & Melisa Fowler from Adventure Flying...and a P-40 Warhawk story
20 Aug 2026 · 1 h 22
Ray and Melisa Fowler run Adventure Flying LLC, a CubCrafters Certified Sales Center covering the mid-Atlantic — Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Both are Delta A320 Captains, and both carry warbird résumés that go well beyond the airline job:…
CC Pocock — 950 Pilots Trained: Rethinking How Backcountry Flying Is Taught
29 Jul 2026 · 1 h 33
CC Pocock has spent over two decades flying in some of the most remote, unimproved terrain in the world, and now runs a one-man flight school in the Nevada desert that's trained more than 950 pilots. He's the author of Bush and Mountain Flying, now in its third edition, and just launched his own…
Darin Hart — Keeping the Cub Alive: American Legend Aircraft, MOSAIC, and the Nomad
22 Jul 2026 · 1 h 17
Darin Hart runs American Legend Aircraft in Sulphur Springs, Texas — the shop keeping the Piper Cub lineage alive, from a stripped-down J3 to the Rotax 916-powered Nomad. We get into how the Nomad came to be (including the Trent Palmer connection that helped put it on the map), the story behind…
Erin & Paul built a Bearhawk 5 and are flying it to all 50 States
15 Jul 2026 · 1 h 10
Erin and Paul flew their Bearhawk 5 named "Tina" to Peach State Aerodrome to drop in and record an episode! It was epic, and unfortunately I had to edit out the multiple fly-bys that interrupted the recording...haha. But in this episode we talk about getting into flying, building an airplane from…
Justin Meaders 3-Time Formula One Champion to National STOL
8 Jul 2026 · 1 h 19
Most people know Justin Meaders for the incredible story of returning to flight after the motorcycle accident that left him paraplegic. That story has been told well—including on Pilot to Pilot—so we took a different approach. In this episode, we focus on Justin the competitor: his years in…
Meet the Host: JB gets interviewed by Ryan Dembroski
1 Jul 2026 · 1 h 10
Season 4 kicks off with a bit of a role reversal...in response to your comments I decided to do a "meet the host" episode" and instead of me just talking to myself, I invited Ryan Dembroski back to the podcast (only 3-time voice on the pod). Ryan takes a turn at the mic and asks me his toughest…
Dave Rowe CRASHED the FREEDOM FOX...the whole story
25 Mar 2026 · 1 h 36
This episode follows up on Dave's recent YouTube video where he chronicles his crash in Hells Canyon last summer. I recommend starting with Dave's video, then returning here for the background story. We also talk about Spring plans into SUN'n FUN! If you haven't yet listened to Dave's previous…
Jackie Burch flew her Taylorcraft to Alaska & the CubCrafters NX Cub to Oshkosh
18 Mar 2026 · 1 h 25
Jackie Burch has been a longtime supporter of the podcast and connected me with a lot of the guests I've interviewed. I finally convinced her to come on the podcast and talk about her aviation story and how she got started. This is a fun listen that explores new pilot fears and how she handled…
National STOL & eSTOL 2026 Events with Cam Walton & Ryan Dembroski
11 Mar 2026 · 1 h 50
This episode is with the voices of National STOL Cam and Ryan. We talk about what they've been up to since the last episode, the 2026 National STOL calendar, and then dive DEEP into eSTOL. You'll love this episode because the energy this group brings and the fun along the way. Get the light-up…
Lukasz Czepiela lands the Red Bull Carbon Cub ANYWHERE
4 Mar 2026 · 1 h 09
This episode is a really fun look at what the Carbon Cub platform is capable of in extreme cases with a professional aerobatics champion at the controls. Do NOT try this at home...professional pilot at work. Luke talks about the models he's flown and about the Red Bull projects he's been a part of…
Tanmoy Ganguly feeds Michigan RAF Volunteers at North Fox Island
25 Feb 2026 · 1 h 28
Tanmoy, or Tan, is one of the RAF's state liaisons for Michigan. He's known as the guy who feeds the crowds of volunteers who show up and work at airstrip work parties. Many a volunteer has asked if he's bringing the kabobs! Tan's infectious energy brings you quickly into his story and even though…
Dave Wyckoff talks Kansas Backcountry and Arkansas Adventures
18 Feb 2026 · 57 min
Dave Wyckoff from Kansas started a YouTube channel to meet backcountry pilots in Kansas and beyond! That endeavor has created a local community that builds local strips, host events, and exports beyond the state. His proximity to opportunities in Missouri and Arkansas has enabled his community to…
Matt Dearden is "Flying from Shangri-La" which is also the "Worst Place to be a Pilot"
11 Feb 2026 · 1 h 53
This episode is with with Matt Dearden, a UK-based pilot who was featured in the UK TV program titled "Worst Place to be a Pilot" that followed the adventures of UK pilots building flight time with Susie Air in Indonesia. Matt later wrote a book titled "Flying from Shangri-La" that is an amazing…
Rusty Coonfield, ArkanSTOL origins, and how to tackle the Fly Oz network
4 Feb 2026 · 1 h 44
This episode is pure Arkansas from one of the pilots who knows the network and builds events to highlight the state's backcountry beauty. Rusty Coonfield is an Arkansas pilot that helped build the ArkanSTOL event at Byrd's Adventure Center. He has unique insight into how the event began and the…
Tres Clinton of C3 AIR talks Texas Backcountry Flying
28 Jan 2026 · 1 h 30
This episode is with Tres Clinton from Burnet, Texas and C3 Air. Tres teaches a wide range of aviation students but loves to teach backcountry flying in tailwheel aircraft and float planes. He has some amazing stories and insight in flying in central Texas and provides some insight into getting…
Anitra Goddard is the STOL Queen + Sun'n Fun Bushwheel Basecamp PRO TIPS
14 Jan 2026 · 1 h 13
Kicking off Season 3 is my conversation with Anitra Goddard from the Sun'n Fun Team. She's affectionately known in the community as the STOL Queen. She's pioneered the Bushwheel Basecamp and has everything to do with STOL events far and wide! This is a very fun talk with her about how she got into…